The somatostatin class is a known class of small peptides comprising the naturally occurring somatostatin-14 and analogues having somatostatin related activity, e.g. as disclosed by A. S. Dutta in Small Peptides, Vol. 19, Elsevier (1993). By “somatostatin analogue” as used herein is meant any straight-chain or cyclic polypeptide having a structure based on that of the naturally occurring somatostatin-14 wherein one or more amino acid units have been omitted and/or replaced by one or more other amino radical(s) and/or wherein one or more functional groups have been replaced by one or more other functional groups and/or one or more groups have been replaced by one or several other isosteric groups. In general, the term covers all modified derivatives of the native somatostatin-14 which exhibit a somatostatin related activity, e.g. they bind to at least one of the five somatostatin receptor (SSTR), preferably in the nMolar range. Commonly known somatostatin analogs are octreotide, vapreotide, lanreotide, pasireotide.
Pasireotide, having the chemical structure as follow:

Pasireotide is called cyclo[{4-(NH2—C2H4—NH—CO—O-)Pro}-Phg-DTrp-Lys-Tyr(4-Bzl)-Phe], wherein Phg means —HN—CH(C6H5)—CO— and Bzl means benzyl, in free form, in salt or complex form or in protected form.
Cushing's syndrome is a hormone disorder caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood. This can be caused by taking glucocorticoid drugs, or by tumors that produce cortisol or adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or CRH. Cushing's disease refers to one specific cause of the syndrome: a tumor (adenoma) in the pituitary gland that produces large amounts of ACTH, which elevates cortisol. It is the most common cause of Cushing's syndrome, responsible for 70% of cases excluding glucocorticoid related cases. The significant decrease of cortisol levels in Cushing's disease patients on pasireotide support its potential use as a targeted treatment for Cushing's disease (Colao et al. N Engl J Med 2012; 366:32-42).
Compound A is potent inhibitor of the rate-limiting enzyme 11-beta-hydroxylase, the last step in the synthesis of cortisol. WO 2011/088188 suggests the potential use of compound A in treating a disease or disorder characterised by increased stress hormone levels and/or decreased androgen hormone levels, including the potential use of compound A in treating heart failure, cachexia, acute coronary syndrome, chronic stress syndrome, Cushing's syndrome or metabolic syndrome.
Compound A, also called (R)-4-(6,7-Dihydro-5H-pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazol-5-yl)-3-fluoro-benzonitrile, has formula (II).

Compound A can be synthesized or produced and characterized by methods as described in WO2007/024945.